Alone, Together
Two hours before the car went up in flames, my uncle opened the bedroom curtains. The bird in the tree seemed to call his name. On the weekends, he sold kitchen knives door-to-door, slicing shrimp
in half mid-air to impress bored housewives. Smoking a cigarette, he showed the woman, a childless PTA president, the scars on his fingers. The sky was the color of a radioactive oyster bed. Naked, they carefully searched the newspaper obituaries. When they made love, it was not as themselves. They pretended to be someone else, calling each other by the names of those recently deceased.
fantastic, deeply moved me
This text is a whirlwind of emotions and unexpected turns! The imagery is so vivid, it feels like I’m right there with your uncle and the PTA president. Can’t wait to read more from Ryan Habermeyer!
Or it could be just a collection of random sentences. No narrative, no arc, no cohesion and no resolution. It’s a hustle.
A bunch of well-crafted twists and turns – good one!